Glebe Annex Community Association news

At the November 2013 annual general meeting, some 14 residents were voted into board positions to oversee the actions of this one-year-old organization. From among the 14 new directors, an executive council was elected. Sylvia Milne has taken on a second term as president, Iain Wood is our new vice president, Lisa Furrie continues as secretary and Chris McCann continues to control the purse strings.

Among the numerous initiatives that will be ongoing over the winter is a very timely project. Led by Mary McIninch, the project is looking to replace the dangerous and outdated play equipment in our one and only park, Dalhousie South Park. McIninch is also investigating (with assistance from the City) the issue of why older parks are not brought up to today’s safety standards before creating new parks, as well as the larger question of park maintenance and development in Ottawa.

Our safety committee led by Peggy Kampouris is also keeping a watchful eye on the implementation of WISE (Women’s Initiatives for Safer Environments) recommendations. A physical survey (a safety audit) undertaken in October highlighted potentially unsafe areas in our neighbourhood and recommended steps to make our neighbourhood more secure. David Perkins, who developed our informative and interactive website, has been maintaining news files and creating enhancements to the site. We encourage all residents to use this effective tool to learn about our neighbourhood and to input information to our executive. Please visit www.glebeannex.ca.

We anticipate visual improvements on our streets thanks to the efforts of our Beautification and Recreation Committee. We look forward to a planting campaign in the spring and would appreciate your cooperation. Watch this column for updates. We wish all residents of the Glebe Annex a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Doug Milne is a resident of the Glebe Annex neighbourhood. The play equipment in the area’s one park is more than dated – it’s dangerous for children.